This program is a legal comedy-drama. The series was created by Josh Berman and debuted on Lifetime on July 12, 2009. So far, in total five seasons were created. The series is set in Los Angeles, California, but it is actually filmed in Peachtree City, Georgia, and Senoia, Georgia.
Deb Dobkins is a vapid blonde aspiring model. She is killed in a car crash on the way to an audition for The Price Is Right. Meanwhile, Jane Bingum, a smart attorney was shot when she tried to protect her boss. As Deb’s soul enters the gate of Heaven, a gatekeeper named Fred waits for her. Fred does not know what to do with Deb’s soul because she is a zero-zero. When Fred tries to figure it out, Deb sees a note on Fred's computer warning angels from pressing the "return" key. Deb presses the return key on Fred's keyboard before he can stop her. Amazingly, because of that, she is brought back to life in the body of Jane Bingum!
Jane is very different from Deb. She is smart , nice, hard-working, charitable, and overweight. The only person knows that she is Deb in Jane's body is Deb’s best friend, Stacy. Fred is punished for allowing her to press the return button, he is forced to become her guardian angel on Earth and he cannot allow her to tell anybody else the secret. At first, Deb totally cannot accept her new appearance. However, she learns valuable lessons about personal acceptance and inner beauty as she finds out more about her inherited life.
Character Introduction
Jane Bingum, inhabited by Deb Dobkins, who is a brilliant, hardworking and overweight attorney with a flair for fashion. Deb Dobkins,a vapid blonde aspiring model, who is killed in a car crash. And her soul enters Jane’s body finally.
Teri Lee, Jane's sassy assistant, is Jane’s rock and confidant. Kim Kaswell,Jane's coworker and rival. Stacy Barrett, Jane's/Deb's longtime best friend and roommate, and the only person from Deb’s old life who knows that she now inhabits Jane’s body.
Grayson Kent,Jane's closest colleague and Deb's former boyfriend. Fred, Deb's original guardian angel.
Today's Episode -- Season 1 Episode 1
Today’s episode is like a brief introduction of the whole story. Deb dies in a car accident and her soul goes to the gate of Heaven. Then, she presses the return key and is brought back to life of Jane’s body. (Jane is shot for protecting her boss.) Deb cannot accept it because Jane is an opposite person of her. Deb tells her best friend, Stacy the secret and goes to her own funeral. On the funeral, she hears someone says that she is selfish which makes her depressed. She also solves 2 cases but is betrayed by her partner. Surprisingly, Deb’s boyfriend, Grayson Kent works in the same company with Jane. However, it makes Deb really painful.
We are going to introduce this episode today. You can see the video here:
''Beautiful Inside" by Katie Herzig "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons "Hey Na Na" by Katie Herzig "Wanna Fly" by Vassy "Everybody Got Their Something" by Nikka Costa "I Want You" by Holly Palmer "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie
Vocabulary
Vocabulary：
Wrinkle – a slight ridge or furrow on a surface, such as a crease in the skin as a result of age
Brooch – an ornament with a hinged pin and catch, worn fastened to clothing
Lock – a person or thing that is certain to win or to succeed
Firm – a partnership or association for carrying on a business
EKG – abbreviation for electrocardiograph
an instrument for recording the electrical activity of the heart
Flatline – be so near death that the display of one’s vital signs on medical monitoring equipment shows a flat line rather than peaks and troughs
Amnesia – complete or partial loss of memory caused by brain unjury
Concussion –shock caused by the impact of a collision
Bloated – swollen; puffed out or dilated
Vacated – empty
Demote – to lower in position
Apprehend – to arrest and escort into custody; seize
Ditch – to get rid of
Botox – a preparation of botulinum toxin used to treat muscle spasm and to remove wrinkles
Pharmaceuticals – medicine, drug
Zolpidem – a kind of medicine for smoothing or calming , used in the treatment of insomnia
Hallucination – a sensory experience of something that does not exist, caused by physical mental disorders, or by reaction to certain toxic substances
Verdict – any decision, judgment, or conclusion
Phrase 1.pull some strings - To use personal connections to obtain a position 2.all that – too, very, usually employed in a negative context meaning not too, not very 3.off the chart - greatly exceeding the general level or average 5.ring a bell - arouse an indistinct memory, remind one of something
Listening Activities
Comprehension Questions: 1. Why will Deb’s soul enters Jane’s body? 2. Why did Deb suffer the car accident? 3. What is Fred’s job in Jane’s firm? 4. How does Jane die? 5. How do Deb and Grayson meet each other?
Intensive Listening Activity: Listen and fill in your part of the transcript. You can work in a group to do this. Then get into a new groups of 2 and act out the scene.
Discussion Questions: 1. You want to be a beautiful but shallow person like Deb, or a smart but obese person like Jane? Why? 2. If you are a lawyer and you can help your client win the suit by no telling the fact, will you do that? 3. If you die and your soul enters the other’s body like Deb, and you can only tell one person the fact, who will you choose to tell? 4. Do you think first impression is important? Why? What is the first impression that others always feel about you? 5. Have you ever had any experience of having inferiority of yourself? How did you solve it?
Cultural Notes
Splenda : It is a very stable sweetener that tastes like sugar, but without its calories
Zolpidem: Zolpidem is a medicine used for the treatment of insomnia and helping you fall asleep. Zolpidem: http://www.drugs.com/zolpidem.html
Erin Brockovich:It is a movie about an unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply.
Mojito: It is acocktail that consists of five ingredients:white rum,sugar (traditionallysugar cane juice),lime juice,sparkling water, andmint. Cuba is the birthplace of the Mojito, although the exact origin of this classic cocktail is the subject of debate
Meals on wheels: There are some programs provide meals to seniors who need them each day. Some programs serve meals at senior centers, some programs deliver meals directly to the homes of seniors whose mobility is limited, and many programs provide both services.
Drop Dead Diva
Program Introduction
This program is a legal comedy-drama. The series was created by Josh Berman and debuted on Lifetime on July 12, 2009. So far, in total five seasons were created. The series is set in Los Angeles, California, but it is actually filmed in Peachtree City, Georgia, and Senoia, Georgia.
Deb Dobkins is a vapid blonde aspiring model. She is killed in a car crash on the way to an audition for The Price Is Right. Meanwhile, Jane Bingum, a smart attorney was shot when she tried to protect her boss. As Deb’s soul enters the gate of Heaven, a gatekeeper named Fred waits for her. Fred does not know what to do with Deb’s soul because she is a zero-zero. When Fred tries to figure it out, Deb sees a note on Fred's computer warning angels from pressing the "return" key. Deb presses the return key on Fred's keyboard before he can stop her. Amazingly, because of that, she is brought back to life in the body of Jane Bingum!
Jane is very different from Deb. She is smart , nice, hard-working, charitable, and overweight. The only person knows that she is Deb in Jane's body is Deb’s best friend, Stacy. Fred is punished for allowing her to press the return button, he is forced to become her guardian angel on Earth and he cannot allow her to tell anybody else the secret. At first, Deb totally cannot accept her new appearance. However, she learns valuable lessons about personal acceptance and inner beauty as she finds out more about her inherited life.
Character Introduction
Jane Bingum, inhabited by Deb Dobkins, who is a brilliant, hardworking and overweight attorney with a flair for fashion.
Deb Dobkins,a vapid blonde aspiring model, who is killed in a car crash. And her soul enters Jane’s body finally.
Teri Lee, Jane's sassy assistant, is Jane’s rock and confidant.
Kim Kaswell,Jane's coworker and rival.
Stacy Barrett, Jane's/Deb's longtime best friend and roommate, and the only person from Deb’s old life who knows that she now inhabits Jane’s body.
Grayson Kent,Jane's closest colleague and Deb's former boyfriend.
Fred, Deb's original guardian angel.
Today's Episode -- Season 1 Episode 1
Today’s episode is like a brief introduction of the whole story. Deb dies in a car accident and her soul goes to the gate of Heaven. Then, she presses the return key and is brought back to life of Jane’s body. (Jane is shot for protecting her boss.) Deb cannot accept it because Jane is an opposite person of her. Deb tells her best friend, Stacy the secret and goes to her own funeral. On the funeral, she hears someone says that she is selfish which makes her depressed. She also solves 2 cases but is betrayed by her partner. Surprisingly, Deb’s boyfriend, Grayson Kent works in the same company with Jane. However, it makes Deb really painful.
We are going to introduce this episode today. You can see the video here:
http://watchseries.lt/open/cale/6101830.html(without transcript)
http://www.funtvshow.info/teleplay/play.php?view=25.2012.5776.545368.607372
Watch more episode on IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1280822/
Here is the official site:
https://www.google.com.tw/?gws_rd=cr&ei=IuVaUsGzFYLMkAXP4oG4Bg#q=drop+dead+diva
You can find more information about Drop Dead Diva at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_Dead_Diva
Here is the transcript of the episode:
Music in this episode:''Beautiful Inside" by Katie Herzig
"Big Girls Don't Cry" by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons
"Hey Na Na" by Katie Herzig
"Wanna Fly" by Vassy
"Everybody Got Their Something" by Nikka Costa
"I Want You" by Holly Palmer
"Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie
Vocabulary
Vocabulary：an instrument for recording the electrical activity of the heart
Phrase1. pull some strings - To use personal connections to obtain a position
2.all that – too, very, usually employed in a negative context meaning not too, not very
3. off the chart - greatly exceeding the general level or average
5. ring a bell - arouse an indistinct memory, remind one of something
Listening Activities
Comprehension Questions:
1. Why will Deb’s soul enters Jane’s body?
2. Why did Deb suffer the car accident?
3. What is Fred’s job in Jane’s firm?
4. How does Jane die?
5. How do Deb and Grayson meet each other?
Intensive Listening Activity:
Listen and fill in your part of the transcript. You can work in a group to do this. Then get into a new groups of 2 and act out the scene.
Discussion Questions:
1. You want to be a beautiful but shallow person like Deb, or a smart but obese person like Jane? Why?
2. If you are a lawyer and you can help your client win the suit by no telling the fact, will you do that?
3. If you die and your soul enters the other’s body like Deb, and you can only tell one person the fact, who will you choose to tell?
4. Do you think first impression is important? Why? What is the first impression that others always feel about you?
5. Have you ever had any experience of having inferiority of yourself? How did you solve it?
Cultural Notes
Splenda : It is a very stable sweetener that tastes like sugar, but without its calories
Splenda on wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splenda
Products and recipes: http://www.splenda.com/
The Price Is Right : It is a television game show. In the show, contestants compete to win cash and prizes by guessing the pricing of merchandise.
The Price Is Right on wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Price_Is_Right
You can play a game here:http://www.bigmoneyarcade.com/?action=playgame&gameid=731
Prize model: To help display its many prizes, The Price is Right has featured several models.
Hermes: A brand that is very expensive.
Visit their official website: http://www.hermes.com/index_default.html
Pepto: It is a medicine used for the treatment of nausea, diarrhea, indigestion.
Pepto on wiki:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepto-Bismol
Visit the pepto website: http://www.pepto-bismol.com/
Lanisha Diane Cole: An American model who has been most recognizable as a rotating model on the game show The Price Is Right
Freshman15: This word is often used in America. It means that college students usually gain weight in their first semester attending a college.
Causes of the Freshman 15:
1. Lack of exercise2. Eating unhealthy cafeteria food
3. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
Freshman 15 on wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freshman_15
Visit the freshman 15 website to know more about it: http://www.freshman15.com/
Lane Bryant: : A brand of women's plus size clothing
Visit their website: http://www.lanebryant.com/Zolpidem: Zolpidem is a medicine used for the treatment of insomnia and helping you fall asleep.
Zolpidem: http://www.drugs.com/zolpidem.html
Erin Brockovich: It is a movie about an unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply.
Erin Brockovich on wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erin_Brockovich_(film)
See more information about the movie: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/erin-brockovich
Mojito: It is a cocktail that consists of five ingredients: white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime juice, sparkling water, and mint. Cuba is the birthplace of the Mojito, although the exact origin of this classic cocktail is the subject of debate
Mojito on wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojito
How to make a motjito: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Mojito
Meals on wheels: There are some programs provide meals to seniors who need them each day. Some programs serve meals at senior centers, some programs deliver meals directly to the homes of seniors whose mobility is limited, and many programs provide both services.
meals on wheels on wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meals_on_Wheels
Visit their website: http://www.mowaa.org/
Pro bono: A lawyer's free legal service to people who cannot afford to hire an attorney.
pro bono on wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_bono